The Great Pumpkin

Today, we woke up early for a trip North. We left our house at the unheard of hour of  8:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. After a quick stop at Cracker Barrel, we were on the road. A back road, you could say, that wound us North through the Middle of Nowhere, Florida. At one point in our journey, the road was one lane wide. After 99 miles of arguing over the ipad, we arrived at Hunsader Farms.

 During a few weekends in October, they offer a Pumpkin Festival. After paying our $8.00 (!) a person, we were in! We went through the craft booths, where I found an old window from a house in West Virginia. (which, I visited no less than 4 times before finally buying it. I'm sure, somewhere in Bradenton, Florida a nice lady had to call the Police Dept and cancel her request for the restraining order once she realized Crazy Window Stalker Lady (me) had left the building!

 We drove up with our neighbors. We could neither one be gone from home all day, without actually going together!

 There were many additional dollars to be spent! Climbing walls (isn't this what I do all day for free?)..

 Throwing footballs...and kicking Soccer balls (and why, I have just realized as I type this, is football one word, yet Soccer ball is two?)

 And actually, those were basketballs (also one word).

Here is one funny picture that my eight year old refused to pose for. I told him one day he would look at this photo and wonder why he isn't anywhere to be found.

After traipsing around all day, eating French fries with gravy (who knew???), riding a swamp buggy (in a field), sweating in October and spending $6 for a lemonade (twice) we decided to head home. Via the Interstate. Where they have restrooms. Amen.

Today, was a good day

Today, I went to Target
Today, my husband finally came home after 72 hours at the fire station
Today, I went to Target (as usual)
Today, my kids went to see a movie and I have 3 wole hours to myself
Today, nobody complained about the dinner I made
Today, was a good day

Some days are better than others. Some days ebb, some days flow. Today, we just went with the flow. We are gearing up for a busy couple of months. I think the months of October thru December are busy for just about everyone! Why do we try and cram so much into twelve short weeks? Off the top of my head in those twelve weeks here is what is on our agenda....visit to the Pumpkin patch, Dolphins football game, trip to Busch Gardens, Halloween Party, Trick or Treating, yard sale, trip to Legoland, visit from Mother-in-law, my son is turning eleven, my Momma is coming to visit (I can't wait to hug her neck and hear her voice), Thanksgiving, getting a tree, decorating, baking, shopping, trip to Disney, and then if we all live through it..Christmas! I am exhausted thinking about it! Not to mention the fact that it is still 90 degrees here, with no signs of Fall in sight.

Right now, I am going to go try the pumpkin bread I made earlier. I may or may not have been listening to Christmas music while I stirred the ingredients together...(believe me, the Christmas music is a vast improvement from the Selena Gomez song I am hooked on right now, which is almost  entirely the only thing I have listened to in the past week).

Tomorrow, we go to the dentist
Tomorrow might not be a good day

Puppy Love

We have a seven year old Goldendoodle, named Harvey. Quite possibly, he is my favorite dog I have ever owned. I know it isn't nice to play favorites, but if you were to meet Harvey, you would understand. Completely.

My husband was at the fire station one night and emailed me a picture of some puppy he claimed to be bringing home. I started Googling the breed to find more information. It didn't take long until I discovered a photo of a Goldendoodle. It also didn't take long for me to contact a breeder in North Dakota....."Harvey" this sweet boy, arrived three days later at 8 weeks old, in what I now assume was a cat carrier. I am certain that, now, even his front paw wouldn't fit in that carrier. We waited at the luggage gate for him to get off the plane. A man sat him down and said "I think this is your puppy". I was immediately in love! Even though he smelled to high Heaven....

We brought that sweet puppy home, and he grew and grew and grew! Every inch he grew he seemed to get furrier and smarter. Harvey is the sweetest, most lovable guy. He brings a stuffed animal to you if you so much as make eye contact with him, brings everyone who rings the doorbell a toy or a shoe, and very rarely barks. Harvey has travelled to Tennessee with us in the car many times. We all four resemble a Goldendoodle once we arrive after being in the car all day with him!

I am considering expanding our family and getting Harvey a sister named Charlene. For the past week we have been babysitting our friends' dog, Abby. Harvey is quite annoyed with the fact he has to share our attention and his spot next to the bed. So, we may have to put Charlene on the back burner for now, we shall see.

Dogs definitely leave paw prints on your heart. He has left all four on mine.

Our Gang

 I have two little boys. And three little girls.

 When we moved in to our home, we were newly married. I remember seeing the mom next door with two little girls, having a picnic under the tree in their front yard. This is my most vivid memory of they day we moved in. A few weeks later, my husband went over for a card game. I remember when he returned home, asking him, "What is the wife's name?" "Did she seem nice?" Afew short months later, we found out we were expecting our first baby. We also found out they were expecting their third. We were both due within ten weeks of one another.

 Fast forward almost eleven years. Those three girls and my two boys are the very best of friends. Spending endless hours together. This afternoon three of them were making flowers out of construction paper and two of them were playing a video game. We have to coordinate our outings to coincide, so that we are gone at the same times. Both of our husbands are firefighters, so there is great anticipation of s'mores, dinner at Moe's, playing "manhunt" in the dark when the Dads are at work on the same night.

There have been middle of the night emergency phone calls, picking the kids up from school, arguments and make-ups. But through it all their have been best friendships, that will provide a lifetime of memories and a forever friendship. For all of us.

Fall Envy

Every single year, around this time, it happens. I get Fall envy. I'm not sure that is a professional diagnosis, but I am certain I get it. Every. Single. Year. We live in Southwest Florida, where Summer usually starts sometime in April, and lives on until mid-October. Endless days of high temperatures and even higher humidity. The only thing that remains low is the amount of volume I can get out of my humidity ridden hair...But let's stay focused.

It starts in early September. As I sit in my house, with the air conditioner cranking on high, I watch the morning show, people are wearing JACKETS, talking about Fall styles, cooking Fall comfort foods. Meanwhile, I am wearing my Summer wardrobe for the sixth month straight (beginning to loathe the sight of everything in my closet), trying to figure out what I can cook without having to turn on any appliance in my kitchen and I'm not sure I even own a jacket....

So I get it, every year. Fall Envy. I am currently debating whether or not it is time to put out the Fall decorations. The calendar says it is time, but the thermometer says go to the beach. Unfortunately, it has reached the point, in the long, hot September, when going to the beach is no longer even remotely fun.

 So, while the lucky folks up North watch their leaves change and feel their temps cool down, I will turn the air down, light a pumpkin scented candle and gaze out the window at the seemingly never changing green palm trees. But, I will decorate my house, and it will feel warm and cozy in here, even if it is hot and miserable outside.

I will still have Fall Envy. I will have it until about January. This is about the time all of my relatives up North begin having Florida Envy......

Wreaths for Fall, Wreaths for All

Wreaths

I finally took a photo of three of my wreaths. One is Summer, the other two are Fall. I am having so much fun making them, and finding the possibilities are endless! I am hoping to expand on this new area of creativity :)

It's About Time

I have had this blog set up for about a year and a half. Every day I say, "today's the day". Yet, time keeps passing and no blog posts are written.....I think they call that procrastination, I'm not sure. I am sure I do it constantly, though. And before I know it, 4 o'clock rolls around, and the lunch dishes are in the sink, the dishwasher I ran the night before to get a jump start on the day, remains unloaded, and now several folks at my house think they are hungry for dinner. WHAT? You want me to cook dinner???

So, as I try and record our days, I will do my best to take more pictures. My boys are 10 and 8. We made the decision to Home School them at the beginning of last school year. After spending a year in the Virtual School, as part of the School District, we made the decision to strike out on our own and buy curriculum of our own. We are very excited and will spend the remaining Elementary years focusing on learning and not testing.

Along this journey, I have decided as I enter the last year of my thirties to get a little crafty. I have been making wreaths for different Holidays and occasions. At many of my friends prompting, I am going to open an Etsy store and sell them. We'll see how that goes. It seems by the time I produce a few for the existing season, people are looking for decor for the next. I believe this is where the Procrastination thing could become a roadblock in my winning the next Apprentice.....just sayin'.

I don't really know what this will become a blog about. About being a mom, homeschooling, decorating, not dressing in mom jeans, crafting, photography....I think it will be all over the place, much like me when I attempt to pick up the house!